Vidi vs BATE Borisov Predictions

Hungarian champions Vidi get their Europa League Group L campaign underway with an intriguing looking contest against Belarusian side BATE Borisov.

In a tough section that also contains Premier League’s Chelsea and PAOK from Greece, Vidi’s two fixtures against BATE are likely to be crucial in deciding where they finish overall in the group. It’s vital then, that they get off to a winning start at the Sóstói Stadion in Székesfehérvár this week.

Vidi aren’t in the best form as we approach Thursday’s fixture however. With continental distraction a real factor, Vidi’s Hungarian title defence has started with a whimper instead of a bang. The champions have won just two of their first six matches in the OTP Bank Liga.

Vidi have also had the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Champions League to deal with, and that failure is likely to have left a psychological scar or two. The Hungarians came through three double legged qualifiers against F91 Dudelange, Ludogorets and Malmö FF before losing out to AEK Athens at the final hurdle.

The heavy scheduling and back-to-back European and domestic fixtures seem to have taken it’s toll on the Vidi players, who have looked exhausted in their recent league games.

Vidi have maintained an admirable goal scoring consistency through their tough run of games however. They have only failed to score twice in their last fourteen competitive matches since the summer.

BATE Borisov arrive in Hungary at the mid-way point of their domestic season, meaning their players are in peak physical condition. BATE are marching to another Belarussian title as things stand. They have lost just once in twenty league fixtures so far in 2018, a run that has allowed them to open up a seven-point lead at the summit.

BATE also had Champions League disappointment to contend with, though their form hasn’t been affected by their own continental misstep. Away from home they have been staggeringly effective, winning nine of their last eleven games on the road and losing the other two. One of those defeats was away to Dutch champions PSV.

BATE face a Vidi side that’s fragile in confidence this week. The Hungarians have won just once in eight ahead of Thursday’s game and we expect BATE to take advantage of their fragility. We’re backing the Belarussians to get their Group L campaign off to the perfect start.

Vidi rarely fail to score at home however – they have hit the net in fourteen of their last sixteen matches at the Sóstói Stadion. BATE have only kept two clean sheets in nine on their travels, so we’re tipping both teams to score on Thursday. Our correct sore prediction forecasts a narrow 2-1 win for BATE Borisov.